Thoughts and stories, by Pal

Who would have thought that Dr. Seuss would teach such Gospel lessons!?!  This is a great article from LDS Living. If Dr. Seuss Taught Sunday School JANNALEE ROSNER & DANIELLE BECKSTROM -  Adults and children alike are familiar with the humorous, inventive words of Dr. Seuss, but beneath the humor there are a surprising number of gospel truths to be found. Original artwork by  Greg Williams  of The Tampa Tribune under  CCBYSA licensing . His words make us giggle, his words make us cry. There's no place for doubt, he's one terrific guy. But whether you're a Who or a Jiggle Micpuff, his words mean much more than the regular stuff. They help us to see worlds out way far into space, and remind us of principles from a heavenly place. So, we hope you enjoy and we hope you will grow from that famous Dr. Seuss who says so much more than you know. He would use the Grinch to teach about the value of heavenly treasures Image retrieved from...

Necessary Losses By JeaNette Goates Smith  · February 2, 2015, from Meridian Magazine One of the things I like about football is that 1/2 of all games are lost. Of course, they are not all lost by the same team, but you can’t play the sport without experiencing a loss. Life is full of losses, and a good loser will actually find himself happier with life than somebody who isn’t accustomed to losing. The losses we experience in life begin the moment we are born. We are extracted from the comfortable warmth of the womb into a world so harsh, an infant may cry from the moment she takes her first breath and not stop all day or night. She experiences yet another loss when the security of her mother’s breast is denied her upon weaning. Before long a sibling arrives in the family, and the infant loses her position as the center of attention, and must share with the newcomer. It’s not long before her illusion that the world is a safe, compassionate place is los...

Julie Bliss Hammons lives here in St. George, and teaches many classes at the Family History Center.  She is so knowledgeable, and is such a lovely person.  I plan to check out these FREE books online.  There are so many new advancements available for Family History, it is hard to keep up on them!   New post on  Thelostgrandmother's Blog 8 Great Free Online Books for Genealogy by  thelostgrandmother   (Julie Bliss Hammons) I love books. I love  genealogy, and I really love things that are free. These are some of my favorite sites to locate free books. Maybe one of them  could possibly help your with your family history. Google Books - books.google.com  If you find an old publication you may be able to download it as a pdf. Best time frame for these free books is before 1900. FamilySearch http://books.familysearch.org  - or go to the  Search Tab and go to the Book Search. This currently contains mo...

This was in our local newspaper  The Spectrum  on Jan. 24, 2015.  It sounded like it may have some good ideas for anyone who has had their child bullied.  I know that when we were raising children, our children had problems at times.  I even remember being either made fun of, or a type of bullying myself, over 70 years ago.  But today it seems to be more prevalent perhaps.  I hope this gives you good ideas. 13 signs your child might be getting bullied Question:  I have a problem with how to handle a situation that’s happening with my child at school. He is in first grade and claims to be being bullied. Well, he doesn’t say he’s “being bullied,” he says that kids are mean to him and no one likes him. It breaks my heart. My son is in a phase where he complains a lot about school and he tends to be kind of negative or pessimistic about things. This has me worried, but I don’t know if it’s because he’s being picked on or if he’s being treated li...

This was in the LDS Church News, and hearing from an Apostle of the Lord is always a privilege.  He relates this to students and what we all can accomplish with the help of the Lord.  BYU-Idaho devotional: 'Accomplishing the impossible' By Marianne Holman Prescott   Published: Thursday, Jan. 29 2015 in the LDS Church News REXBURG, IDAHO “The Lord uses the unlikely to accomplish the impossible,” Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told students at Brigham Young University-Idaho during a campus devotional on Jan. 27. Using examples from the scriptures and Church history, Elder Nelson spoke of the great work ordinary individuals have been asked to do that with the Lord’s help, were possible. Looking at Joseph Smith, a young, teachable, untitled youth to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth; the story of David, who slew Goliath with a stone and sling; and Moses, who was called to lead the children of...

This article gives us much to think about.  Even if we live in a reasonably safe area, we may be called upon to help others.  Can we be the "safe haven?"  I am going to use her ideas to add to my "food storage".  There are items besides food that will be useful, if we become the place people come to after their own disasters!  Perhaps we can use some of our income tax returns to be a bit more prepared with some of these items. I Can Be a Refuge From the Storm By Carolyn Nicolaysen  · January 27, 2015, Meridian Magazine So you think because you don’t live in a flood plain, near a river, or in the probable path of a tsunami, hurricane, earthquake or tornado, that you are exempt from being prepared? Think again. I have spent a lot of time reading the accounts of disaster survivors. Their experiences highlight the fact that every natural disaster has a crisis zone where victims experience the horror of life threatening danger. But a...

It seems some people are splitting hairs about the Church's new statement.  Respect for others is at the bottom of what they were advocating.  With Elder Oakes as a lawyer and the other Apostles very educated men, why are any questioning their statements?  I believe it is a matter of faith in our leaders!  They are inspired men, and I have faith in their decisions !  !  ! Religious Freedom and Refusing Service By Cassandra Showell Hedelius  · January 28, 2015 The church’s  press conference  on LGBT nondiscrimination and religious liberty has generated a storm of discussion online, and only some of it is constructive. I notice many are confused–what are the parameters of the religious liberty the church is asking for? Wouldn’t this set up a free-for-all where any religious person could refuse service to anyone they don’t like? I certainly don’t speak for the church, but I’ve been following the development of these ...